


Northern Exposure

by torino10154



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Anal Sex, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-31
Updated: 2009-12-31
Packaged: 2017-10-06 14:12:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torino10154/pseuds/torino10154
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus goes out on a limb and takes Harry on holiday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Northern Exposure

**Author's Note:**

  * For [faeryqueen](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=faeryqueen).



> Written for [](http://faeryqueen.insanejournal.com/profile)[**faeryqueen**](http://faeryqueen.insanejournal.com/). Thank you to my betas, [](http://gryffindorj.insanejournal.com/profile)[**gryffindorj**](http://gryffindorj.insanejournal.com/) and [](http://jadzialove.insanejournal.com/profile)[**jadzialove**](http://jadzialove.insanejournal.com/). ♥ Any mistakes that remain are mine alone. The original posts can be found on [IJ](http://asylums.insanejournal.com/snarry_holidays/68085.html), [LJ](http://community.livejournal.com/snarry_holidays/31347.html), and [DW](http://snarry-holidays.dreamwidth.org/4708.html).

  
  
  
  
---  
  
Here's the fic I wrote for [](http://asylums.insanejournal.com/snarry_holidays/profile)[**snarry_holidays**](http://asylums.insanejournal.com/snarry_holidays/).

**Title:** Northern Exposure  
**Word Count:** ~4900  
**Rating:** NC-17  
**Pairing:** Severus/Harry  
**Warnings:** Beyond what the rating indicates, no others of which I am aware.  
**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**Summary:** Severus goes out on a limb and takes Harry on holiday.  
**Author's Notes:** Written for [](http://faeryqueen.insanejournal.com/profile)[**faeryqueen**](http://faeryqueen.insanejournal.com/). Thank you to my betas, [](http://gryffindorj.insanejournal.com/profile)[**gryffindorj**](http://gryffindorj.insanejournal.com/) and [](http://jadzialove.insanejournal.com/profile)[**jadzialove**](http://jadzialove.insanejournal.com/). ♥ Any mistakes that remain are mine alone. The original posts can be found on [IJ](http://asylums.insanejournal.com/snarry_holidays/68085.html), [LJ](http://community.livejournal.com/snarry_holidays/31347.html), and [DW](http://snarry-holidays.dreamwidth.org/4708.html).

 

Northern Exposure

 

"The International Portkey leaves in five minutes," Severus called from the kitchen. His bags were packed and shrunk, tucked neatly into the pocket of his cloak.

"Have you seen the blue jumper I got last—"

"On the bottom left-hand shelf of _my_ wardrobe," Severus said, finishing sotto voce, "underneath the other jumpers you can't manage to keep at your flat."

"Thanks," Harry replied as he hurried into the room, uselessly smoothing his messy hair. "Do I have time for a cuppa?"

Severus indicated the teacup on the table, steam still rising. "Two minutes."

Harry took a sip of the tea and smiled happily. "Do we have time for a little, you know," and Harry stepped closer waggling his eyebrows.

"Absolutely not." Severus held up his hand to stop Harry's approach. "You do realize how difficult it is to re-arrange a transatlantic Portkey? The paperwork alone will take another week." Severus pulled what looked like a child's broken toy train from his pocket and held it out for Harry.

"Transatlantic?" Harry's eyes widened as he wrapped his hand around the rusty engine. Severus tapped his and Harry's shoulders with his wand and both their traveling cloaks were transfigured into long wool coats.

"Did I say that?" Severus smirked as the Portkey activated.

As soon as they came to a stop near the edge of town on a hill, Harry pulled his coat tighter around him.

"You know, some people go someplace warm to get away from the cold. It's just like this at home."

"Actually it's colder here. We can go back if you like." Severus slipped the toy into his coat once more. "Or we can see about finding a hot cup of coffee and a bite to eat." Having departed close to suppertime meant they'd arrived just in time for lunch. Severus started walking up the cobblestone street, lips curling into a smile as Harry caught up to him and curled his arm around Severus's. As they started up a steep hill, Harry apparently couldn't stand it any longer.

"Are you going to tell me where we are?"

"Look around and see if you can figure it out," Severus said, indicating the shop windows and street signs.

"_Chapeaux_? _Le Buffet de L'Antiquaire_? It's French, isn't it?" Harry stopped and looked around, his bright eyes taking in the old stone buildings, the snow covered trees lit with white lights for the holidays. "You said transatlantic . . . we're in Canada, right?"

"Well done, Mr. Potter," Severus said inclining his head before suddenly finding himself with an armful of Harry. "This is Quebec."

They began walking once more, watching as people bustled by, parcels and shopping bags in their arms.

"How far are we from the hotel?"

"It's just around the corner."

"Have you _been_ here before?" Harry looked at Severus incredulously and he was dearly tempted to tease him. However, if his plans for their holiday were to succeed, he'd need to bite his tongue. Frequently.

"No, I googled it."

"You? You googled it," Harry said, incredulously.

"Yes. All hail the Wizard Web," Severus responded dryly as they turned up Rue Ste-Anne. They came to a stop at a door in an old brick building; it wasn't much to look at from the outside. The sign read _Auberge Place D'armes_. Climbing several steep steps, Severus pulled the heavy door open and they each took a bag from their coat pocket and surreptitiously enlarged it before Harry pulled open the second set of doors and they entered the hotel.

"_Messieurs, bienvenus_," the girl behind the desk welcomed them, a dreamy smile on her round face. She reminded Severus of Harry's best friend, Luna.

"The name is Snape."

"You are together, _oui_?" The girl looked from Severus to Harry, then back again.

"Yes," Severus drawled daring her to question him further. She only nodded.

"You are on the third floor." She took the key from cabinet behind the desk. "This way, _s'il vous plait_." Through a set of doors on the right, they climbed three flights of stairs before they reached their attic room.

She turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. The room had a brick wall, carpet, and an irregular ceiling by virtue of being in the attic of the old building. Harry immediately flopped down on the iron bed, made up with a duvet and wool blankets at the feet. A fire burned in the fireplace.

"If there is anything else, _messieurs_?"

"No, thank you," Severus replied as he took the key from her.

"Very well. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner. Breakfast is complimentary and is served from eight until eleven." She winked at Severus, who very nearly blushed at the knowing look he received. He shut the door and locked it; reaching into his pocket again, he pulled out his other bag containing several journals, as well as student essays.

Harry rolled toward him and frowned. "What's all that, Severus?"

"I have work to do." He set the bag down on a table and got out his quill and red ink.

"You aren't seriously going to start working now? We just got here."

"I figured you would like to relax, watch a little telly, and in an hour or so, we can go downstairs for lunch." Severus said as he took a fourth year's essay from the pile, ready to cut the student to ribbons. He knew he was taking a risk bringing work to do, but as they had never gone on an extensive holiday together, he wasn't quite sure what to expect. Certainly he hadn't traveled in his youth and neither had Harry.

Then there was the question of the purpose of the trip. Harry believed it was solely to "get away from it all" but as with practically everything, Severus had an ulterior motive. If the entire week were a disaster, then he'd have his answer: the two of them couldn't live together, let alone make their relationship permanent. If, however, all went well, at the very least Harry would get rid of his flat, which he'd all but abandoned as the months had gone by.

Severus wouldn't allow himself to dwell on the best possible outcome, as it was so unlikely as to be absurd. Hope, he'd found, was generally a four-letter word.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he turned around and set to work as Harry kicked off his boots and Summoned the remote to the telly. True to form, and Severus's eternal irritation, Harry flipped through the channels, staying no longer than five seconds on any one of them.

"It's all in French, Severus," Harry said loudly.

"Every channel?"

"Sports, cartoons, weather, documentaries, feature films. All in French."

"Perhaps you should consider this a learning experience, an opportunity to expand your language skills." Severus turned back to the essay in front of him.

"Look who's talking. You don't know any French either. How are we going to communicate?" Harry propped his head up on his elbow and peered past Severus's shoulder toward the window.

"I find speaking English tends to force non-English speakers to use it because invariably they do know the language and just choose not to."

"Sounds like something you'd do," Harry replied sourly as he clicked off the telly. Silence reigned for some time as Severus made his way through several essays, all terrible. What was it about fourth year Hufflepuffs?

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Harry get up from the bed and press his face up against the window. He set down his quill and stood, trying to see what had Harry so interested.

"What's that building?" he asked pointing as Severus stepped up behind him, wrapping his arms around Harry.

"The Château Frontenac. It's a hotel but very nearly the symbol of the city. That and the old city walls." Severus began pressing kisses along Harry's neck.

"It's beautiful."

"I agree," Severus replied nipping the soft skin.

"Severus, I'm talking about the building." Harry turned in his embrace and wrapped his arms around Severus's neck.

"I'm not." Pulling Harry closer still, he purred, "Bed, now."

"I thought you were hungry," Harry replied, biting his bottom lip enticingly.

"If you would rather go eat—" Severus said pulling away from Harry, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"No!" Harry pulled Severus back to him and they fell onto the bed, pressing their lips together.

They finally made it out of their room in time for dinner, although the second time they'd tried out the shower, so at least they were clean, if well-fucked.

~♥~

 

The next morning, they both woke early as they were several hours behind England. Severus got out of bed and took a quill to paper, making annotations in the margins so he'd be able to send a letter to the editor of the journal. Why they continued publishing such rubbish was beyond him. Harry got up and went to the ensuite, then climbed back into bed and fell back to sleep for a couple hours more.

Severus found himself watching Harry sleep more than reading the atrocious journal, still unsure how the fates had deigned him worthy of such a gift after denying so much for so long.

When they finally went down to breakfast, Harry dined on eggs and toast while Severus ate porridge; they served it with maple syrup, which he found a bit too sweet for his taste. Thankfully, they did make a proper cup of tea.

After they'd bundled up in their long wool coats, scarves, and gloves with a subtle warming charm to keep the worst of the cold at bay, they headed out to explore the old town. There was a layer of new-fallen snow, whitening the dull, greying piles that sat to either side of the road.

As they walked side by side, Severus wondered what he'd been thinking, taking Harry away on holiday. It was so very unlike him to go to such an effort for someone else's sake. It could almost be considered romantic, and if there were anything Severus wasn't, it was romantic.

Severus told Harry when they'd first become involved that he would never change, not for him or anyone else. The joke was on Severus though: being with Harry _had_ changed him, had taken the edge off. Watching Harry as he walked—bundled in a knit cap and scarf, wrapped in wool practically to his boots—Severus knew he had what half the wizarding world wanted and he wasn't stupid enough to pretend that wasn't the case.

Harry dropped behind, for though they were of similar height, Severus had a longer stride, and turning to see what had slowed him, he noted the look of pure joy on Harry's face as he reached into the snow and made a . . . snowball.

_Thump!_ Childlike laughter broke out as Harry formed another one and threw it at Severus.

"You are going to regret that," Severus said, smirking.

"Only if you can catch me." Harry jumped behind a tree. Severus fingered his wand gently, and the tree suddenly shook as if a wind had blown through, dumping its load onto Harry's head.

"Severus!" Harry was shaking with laughter and cold, his cheeks red from the exposure.

He was _beautiful_. Another subtle flick and Harry was almost dry again.

"I could have done that myself you know," Harry said.

"You wouldn't have, though. You tend to forget the simple things," Severus intoned as they reached the Château and its view of the St. Lawrence River.

"And you don't forget anything, do you? Like the time Draco came over and found—"

"Next time I shall let you freeze, imp," Severus retorted, cutting Harry off. That _had_ been embarrassing.

"Look at this view, Severus." Harry leaned over the railing that ran along the edge of the Dufferin Terrace. The river stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions. The water looked frigid, although a ferry moved slowly across to the town on the opposite bank, so it must not have been frozen. There was a steep drop-off as well, the lower town nestled between the river and the city walls.

They walked along the wide terrace, the sun blindingly bright on the snow. At the far end was a toboggan run, overflowing with children and adults alike laughing and shrieking as they slid down the icy track.

"What's this, Severus?" Harry asked indicating an area where people were lining up and disappearing, although there was nowhere to go but down.

"A funicular which goes down to the lower city," Severus said. "Are you interested? It's nearly a two hundred-foot drop."

"Almost like flying."

"Not in my experience," Severus snorted. Harry had more than once _begged_ Severus to teach him to fly without a broom. He couldn't explain why precisely, but he was reluctant to do it, almost as if it was the one thing that was his alone. Why did he need to keep it from Harry though? He knew Harry would share anything and everything with him. He frowned, wondering what it said about him that he was still unwilling to share this piece of himself with Harry.

They went through the turnstile and waited at what looked like a lift. Only when the doors opened, there was a view of the lower city and the river through the glass walls.

"Brilliant." Harry grinned as they entered the car. "Not quite like a dive on my broomstick but it should be fun." They stood in the front corner, watching as the funicular descended what looked rather like a vertical train track. It came to a stop and they exited into a small gift shop in what seemed to have once been a house.

"Want me to buy you a plush moose for when I'm away, Severus?" Harry said picking up a large child's toy and cradling it like a baby.

"I think I can entertain myself in your welcome absence," Severus murmured as they walked out onto the street, earning him a gentle shove.

The lower town had many small boutiques, souvenirs shops, and restaurants. They wandered a bit, as Harry wanted to pick up something small for his godson. Teddy was well-loved and Harry doted on the child—never quite to the point of spoiling him, but certainly giving him more attention than either of them had ever received as children. Severus found he almost didn't mind being called Uncle Sev'rus. Almost.

One of the souvenir shops caught Harry's eye, and they went in to look around. Severus found the shop claustrophobic—far too many warm bodies in too small a space. He pushed past two women, loudly discussing the exchange rate of American dollars to Canadian dollars, and went to find Harry so he could tell him he'd be waiting outside.

"Wait, Severus, look at this t-shirt," Harry pointed to a green t-shirt with yellow writing. "It's our Patronuses, don't you think?" he said under his voice. The image was of two deer . . . fornicating.

"Ah, well, at least your _Patronus_ regularly gets to top," Severus snorted and Harry smacked him on the arm, then burst out laughing. "I'll be waiting outside, far from the madding crowd." Severus walked back out into the cold December air.

Harry came out several minutes later carrying a smaller moose than the one he had shown Severus. Before Severus could comment, Harry exclaimed, "It's for Teddy!"

At Severus's raised eyebrow, Harry gave a cheeky grin, then changed the subject. "Should we head back to the upper town, maybe walk along the ramparts?" Harry asked.

"You just want to ride the funicular again," Severus smirked.

"Yeah, just a little bit," Harry replied with a grin. "I like the view from the upper town better. It's sort of like being at Hogwarts, looking out over the grounds. Reminds me of home."

Severus scoffed. "You mean _my_ chambers, which are overrun with your _stuff_ as you so aptly put it?"

"You don't mind it so much when I'm there between the sheets." Harry walked though the turnstile and walked into the lift-like funicular.

"You do have some uses, I suppose." Harry laughed as the doors closed and they began their ascent. Severus ran his knuckles along the front of Harry's wool coat, just at the height to catch his attention.

"Perv," Harry purred as he pushed his hips toward Severus's hand. Before they could get into too much trouble, they reached the top of the track and exited near the Château.

"Which appetite do you want to whet?" Severus said as he pulled his coat tighter around him.

"You promised me crêpes for lunch. Then afterward we can go back to the room and burn off the calories." Harry waggled his eyebrows, grinning impishly.

"Insatiable brat," Severus said in mock exasperation. "The restaurant is on Rue St. Jean, about a twenty-minute walk from here." They started walking down the snowy hill past the Musée du Fort, before ducking down the Rue du Trésor.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Harry asked as they passed a large church.

"Of course. Google, remember?" Sure enough, they rounded a corner and found themselves on the Rue St. Jean.

"_Le Casse-Crêpe Breton_? Sounds good to me. I'm famished," Harry said as he opened the door to the restaurant. Right in the center of the café was the area where they cooked the crêpes in front of everyone. They took a table near the window, the weak winter light brightening the room.

"Bonjour, messieurs." The ginger-haired waitress smiled at them as she handed them the menus, her eyes lingering on Harry a bit too long for Severus's taste, although Harry seemed not to notice.

"Two cups of tea please," Severus said without looking at the menu.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, sir, but we do not have tea. Only café and chocolat." Her face turned brightly toward Harry. "Surely, chocolat for you, yes?"

"Yeah, sure, sounds great," Harry replied.

"Coffee, black." Severus rolled his eyes when she left.

"You have yet another admirer, Mr. Potter," Severus said from behind his menu.

"Nah, you're seeing things." When the waitress returned, she set a cup of coffee down in front of Severus and a huge bowl of hot chocolate topped with a pile of whipped cream and curls of chocolate on top.

Severus raised his eyebrow at Harry who looked embarrassed. "Thank you," he managed to grind out and the waitress looked thrilled.

Severus thought he might be sick. "May we order now?" Severus bit out testily, not caring for the attention this woman was paying to Harry.

"_Mais oui._ For you, _monsieur_?" she asked, turning toward Harry.

"I think I'd like just Swiss cheese, please." Harry shut the menu and handed it back to her eager hand.

"Nothing else? Ham, pepperoni, spinach, mushrooms?"

"No, thanks. Just cheese."

"Very well. And for you, _monsieur_?" she asked, finally looking at Severus.

"Ham, Swiss, and asparagus." He set the menu down rather than handing it to her.

As soon as she walked away, Harry spoke. "You didn't need to be rude."

"I was not _rude_. Flirting with customers is rude. Especially when they are clearly _with_ someone else," Severus huffed.

"You know I'm not interested in anyone else," Harry said placatingly. When Severus didn't say anything, Harry stood. "I'm for the loo. Back in a minute." Severus watched the head of dark hair walk across the room and through an archway that must have led to the toilets.

Severus watched as the batter was cooked on large pans that were built into the central counter. The chef flipped the thin crêpes, then filling them with meats, cheeses, and vegetables to order. Harry slipped back into his chair just as the waitress arrived with their plates.

"For you," she said setting Severus's down in front of him, "and for your son." Harry choked and took a sip of his chocolate, leaving him with an absurd dollop of whipped cream on his nose. Severus tried not to think about how much he'd like to lick it off.

"You have whipped cream on your nose."

Harry laughed and wiped it off with his napkin before digging into his lunch. "Oh, this is so good. Don't you think so?"

Severus grunted in reply, barely looking up from his plate. His blood was boiling from what the waitress had said. How dare she presume Harry was his son. No wonder she'd been flirting so outrageously with Harry.

"Severus," Harry said after he'd eaten most of his meal, "don't worry about what she said. She doesn't know us at all. She likely sticks her foot in her mouth all the time."

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, due in part to the fact that, despite the bitter taste that'd been in his mouth, Severus found the food delicious. Afterward, Harry waited outside, and Severus paid the bill, gaining some satisfaction in sneering mightily at the ill-mannered cow of a waitress.

Walking out into the cold, Severus spied Harry looking in a shop window. Pressing himself up behind him, he said huskily, "Bed?"

Harry grinned. "Going to mark me as yours?"

"Oh, yes." Severus nipped Harry's ear before they turned back toward the hotel.

~♥~

 

Later that night, Severus awoke and reached his hand towards Harry's side of the bed, soon discovering it was stone cold. Rubbing his eyes, he sat upright against the headboard and saw Harry sitting near the window, wrapped in one of the wool blankets that sat at the foot of the bed. The bed creaked with his movement and Harry turned toward him but didn't get up.

"Couldn't sleep."

"You should have woken me," Severus replied, his voice husky. "I'm sure we can find a way to tire you out."

Harry abandoned his seat by the window and dropped the blanket revealing his smooth, moonlit skin. He climbed back onto the bed, straddling Severus's lap.

"Is this what you had in mind?" He rocked his hips forward, rubbing their slowly awakening erections together.

"Indeed." Severus grasped the back of Harry's neck and pulled him down into a kiss. It started slow; tongues moving gently over every familiar nook, dipping inside before pulling back once more. Harry's weight on his thighs, his hands in his hair, rocking their bodies together was heady. Severus deepened this kiss, thrusting his tongue forward as he wrapped his hand around their lengths, drawing a moan from Harry's throat.

"More," Harry said against Severus's lips, jutting his hips forward. Severus reached for the phial of lube on the bedside table.

"Get up," he told Harry as he slipped out from underneath him. "Grab onto the headboard and don't let go." Harry leaned forward on his knees and grasped the ironwork bed frame. Severus couldn't resist a smack to the pert arse.

"Git," Harry replied and waggled his arse again. Severus had other plans, however, and poured some oil into the curve of Harry's back then dragged his fingers through it and down to the crack in his arse, stroking but never breaching Harry's entrance.

He loved to tease Harry, see how long he could go before he begged for Severus's cock. He always did eventually. Even though he didn't need to go slowly, Severus slipped a single fingertip inside, loving the smooth texture. Harry pressed back against him, trying to take in more of the probing digit.

Severus chuckled. "Eager, are we?" He pushed a second finger inside, searching for the little nub that drove Harry mad.

"Always," Harry replied, his voice only a breath. He canted his hips, spreading his legs slightly giving Severus a better view of his cock and balls hanging beneath him. Severus slicked his length as he frigged Harry, ready to replace his fingers with his cock when Harry finally reached his breaking point.

"Need you in me," Harry moaned as Severus found and assaulted his prostate with a vengeance. Before the words were out, Severus removed his hand and pushed inside, draping himself over Harry's sweat-slicked body. He bit his lip as the exquisite heat enveloped him, taking a moment to control himself before he pulled out and thrust in again and again, setting a punishing pace.

"Oh, fuck," Harry cried out, still holding onto the headboard, his knuckles white from the exertion. Severus reached around and grasped Harry's cock in his hand, stroking him in time with his thrusts. They were both getting close as Harry's arse clenched around him, nearly drawing Severus over the edge.

Severus pulled back and gripped Harry's hips, thrusting with all his strength, the only sounds in the room their moans and the slap of skin on skin.

"Come for me, Harry," Severus purred as he pushed into Harry once more and spilled himself in several bursts. Harry's arse squeezed Severus's oversensitive cock as he came, splattering the bedclothes with come. Severus's softened length slipped out and he fell to the side, taking deep breaths. Harry's head hung down between his arms as he caught his breath.

"You can let go now, Harry," Severus said with a hint of a smile.

Harry lifted his head and grinned. "Too tired to move."

"By all means, stay like that then. It certainly is a wonderful view." Harry finally let go of the iron and flopped onto his back.

"That was brilliant." He leaned over and kissed Severus roughly before falling back onto his pillow and going to sleep in mere minutes.

"That it was, Harry." Severus cast a cleansing charm and pulled the duvet over both of them.

~♥~

 

The rest of their days flew by quickly, as they were often either cold and covered in snow from sightseeing or warming themselves by the fire in more ways than one. On the night before they were to going to depart, Severus's nerves were fraying. He hadn't found the courage to talk to Harry about what was on his mind and he hated himself for it. Maybe this whole trip had been a mistake, a fool's errand. Why would Harry want to make a permanent attachment with him, when he could still have whomever he liked were he to tire of Severus? The incident with the waitress weighed heavily on his mind.

They had a marvelous supper at an Italian restaurant, _Portofino_, but Severus was distracted all night. After they ate, Harry reached his hand across the table but seemed to think better of it when he saw the scowl Severus knew he was sporting. "Something's bothering you."

"I don't want to talk about it right now." Severus frowned and drank the last sip of his wine.

"All right, then there's something I want to talk about." Harry sat back and looked him straight in the eye. "I don't like our living arrangements."

"Oh? Need more space for your admirers?" Severus snapped, angry with himself more than anything. Why he thought they'd last . . . although he didn't think Harry was the type to—

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all," Harry said interrupting Severus's runaway train of thought. He ran a hand through his hair. "I want us to live together. I really don't use that flat except maybe once every two weeks and that's just so I don't bother you when you are brewing. And everyone knows that we're together, even if it isn't official. Even Aunt Petunia and Dudley know and somehow still live. We should visit her sometime, scare her to death most likely—" Harry grinned and continued talking, but Severus wasn't listening.

He still had his chance.

"Fortunately, Harry, I think for once we are thinking along similar lines."

"Oh? You want me to move in with you?"

"Actually, I thought we might make our relationship _permanent_." Severus emphasized the last word hoping Harry would understand rather than having to spell it out. He'd be damned if he got down on one knee like those fools in films.

"No," Harry gasped, his face pale.

"No?" Severus froze, heart pounding.

"No, I don't mean no. I mean yes! I thought you said you were happy with our arrangement. You told me it didn't matter that the Muggle government would allow us to legally bond."

"Stop babbling, Harry," Severus said, completely exasperated. He should have known this wouldn't go smoothly. How could it considering the parties involved? They'd always had trouble communicating with words. Actions were something else entirely.

Harry took a deep breath. "You aren't doing this just on my account, are you?"

"Have you ever known me to be altruistic? There is definitely a benefit for me, as well—I want everyone to know that you are mine. If, however, you merely want to live together, I understand." Severus felt deflated. Truthfully, he would take whatever Harry offered him. Of that there was no doubt, but he had hoped he hadn't been wrong about Harry's feelings toward him. He'd dared to hope, like as fools tend to do.

"Don't make that sour face, Severus, I said yes." Harry ran his hand through his hair and smiled that beautiful smile that was only for Severus. The one that said what words could not. "I want to bond with you or marry or whatever they call it these days."

Maybe he had read Harry right after all.

_Maybe_ he'd even teach him to fly.

  
_Fin._   


 

Places of Interest  
• [ Auberge Place D'armes](http://www.aubergeplacedarmes.com/index.html) •  
• [ Château Frontenac](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_Frontenac) • [ Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec ](http://www.funiculaire-quebec.com/en/Accueil.htm) •  
• [ Le Casse-Crêpe Breton](http://cassecrepebreton.com/) • [ Portofino Bistro Italiano](http://www.portofino.qc.ca/) • 

  


  



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